Book Title: Geektastic – Stories From The Nerd Herd
Editors: Holly Black & Cecil Castellucci
Published: 2009
Pages: 403
Category: Fiction – Young Adult
Review:
I admit to a love of YA (Young Adult Fiction). I loved it when I was a teenager, and I loved it through University, when it was easier to read along with textbooks and assignments – a familiar escape. But most importantly I love well done YA. Adults who love to read Young Adult fiction do so because it doesn’t talk down to its audience; accepting teenagers as whole people, with thoughts, ideas, and opinions about the world is an important part of ensuring that they grow into people with these same qualities. Their opinions and ideas and ideals matter, and good YA will speak to that – which is why it still applies to me, and why I still read it, even though I am quickly running out of ‘acceptable’ reasons to do so.
Edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci, Geektastic is a collection of nerdy stories by excellent Young Adult Fiction authors. From John Green to David Levithan, Libba Brey, Scott Westerfeld to M.T. Anderson and Cassie Claire, this is an anthology that truly speaks to nerds of all ages.
All of these authors are known mostly for writing novels, but these short stories show how good they are at exploring characters in just a short time. Ranging from the story of the Klingon who falls in love with the Jedi (Black & Castellucci), to an education in nerd-dom (Lynn), Quiz-Bowl dramatics (Levithan), Geektastic speaks to all sorts of geeks & nerds.
I really loved this book, and thought it was a wonderful book to start 2010 with. So many of these authors have truly outed themselves as geeks of the highest order – from describing perfectly the awkwardness of meeting someone ‘IRL’ for the first time, when previously you’ve only known them online, to the joy of introducing someone to the glory of Lord of the Rings or Star Trek, among other epics.
I would recommend this book to any lover of YA fiction, anyone who was ever a self-proclaimed geek or nerd, or anyone who is looking to find a new author to explore. I know I’ve finished this book with a few new authors in mind to find next time I’m in the library or at a bookshop.
Next Book: What Is Stephen Harper Reading? by Yann Martel
Philippa Adams 
I enjoyed Geektastic, overall. I will admit, some of it was a bit too much for my brain, but most of the stories were enjoyable and easy reads. And I think the Klingon/Jedi romance was my favorite. 😀
There were definitely some stories I enjoyed less (and some I didn’t really read all of…) but for the most part I really liked it 😀
When I got it I went straight to John Green’s story, and then read the others!
The Klingon/Jedi romance was awesome! haha.